There are already known various constructions of chairs in which the seat portions are angularly adjustable with respect to the backrest portions. These constructions typically have a seat arranged between lateral portions of a frame. A backrest is pivotally attached to the seat. An armrest is fixedly attached to the backrest and the frame. The backrest is adjustable from an erect position to one which is reclined. This adjustment is generally controlled by movement of the armrest in conjunction with the application of force to the backrest by the user of the chair. While these constructions satisfy the objective of providing seating and/or lounging in a plurality of body positions, they typically suffer from a variety of undesirable characteristics.
One such characteristic is that the locking and releasing mechanisms most often carried in the armrest to effect adjustment of the backrest are "crashable". That is, once the armrest is lifted so as to become disengaged from its locked position, and force is applied to the backrest and/or the arms by the user, the backrest tends to "crash" to its fully reclined position. Such action will undoubtedly alarm the user, especially a user unfamiliar with the chair. Additionally, the user can be injured due to this rapid, unexpected movement and sudden, abrupt stop. Moreover, if the user is holding a beverage when attempting to adjust the chair, as is often the case when such chairs are used at a beach, the crash of the backrest often causes the user's beverage to spill or splash upon the user.
One example of this typical type of adjustable chair is disclosed in Danish Pat. No. 87177. The ratchet track system employed therein and carried in the armrest to effect adjustment of the chair, requires that the user lift up and pull forward on the arm so as to disengage the locking mechanism and permit the backrest to be reclined. Once disengaged, however, the backrest of the chair can easily move rapidly to its fully reclined position, thus startling, and perhaps injuring the user. Two other adjustable chair constructions exhibiting such crash potential are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,981,316 and British Pat. No. 860,760.
A typical chaise longue construction is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,847,060 and it too possesses this undesirable characteristic. Once the adjustable arm is raised and the locking pin disengages the holding notch, the locking pin is allowed to move freely within an elongate channel causing the user to blindly seek another holding notch with a crash of the backrest being likely. Disclosed in this patent is one attempt to ameliorate the unpleasantry of such a crash, such being in the form of a tension spring which resists the recline of the backrest. A crash, however, is still likely for the spring cannot prevent the crash but only slightly reduce the speed of the recline.
Another undesirable characteristic of typical adjustable chairs is that the adjusting mechanisms often permit a user's fingers to be pinched or cut during adjustment. That is, the adjusting mechanisms are either fully exposed, or are positioned such that the act of adjusting the chair leaves the users hands in a position to be caught between the arm and the frame of the chair. When this undesirable characteristic is combined within a crash-type arm, the potential for injury is even greater due to the speed at which the crash occurs. The undesirable characteristic of an adjustable chair which permits pinching of the user's fingers has been heretofore recognized in both U.S. Pat. No. 3,075,811 and Canadian Pat. No. 733,801. A fully pinch-proof adjustable chair is, however, still unknown.
Many adjustable chairs are designed so as to be foldable and can be folded and stored when not in use. In these foldable chairs, the adjusting mechanism often hinders folding. That is, the adjusting mechanism remains in a locked position, rather than releasing, and thus the chair cannot be folded with ease, or, even worse, the chair cannot be folded at all.